1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or lightly grease it. This helps the brownies release easily after baking.
2. In a medium bowl, mash the ripe bananas until smooth but still a little chunky—this texture makes the brownies extra moist and tender.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar until well combined. From my experience, using melted butter rather than softened butter gives these brownies a denser, fudgier finish.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Then stir in the vanilla extract.
5. Slowly fold the mashed bananas into the wet mixture.
6. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, folding gently until just combined. Overmixing can make the brownies tough, so be gentle here.
7. Fold in the chocolate chips if using—this little addition makes the brownies extra indulgent and gives them delightful pockets of melted chocolate.
8. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. The key here is that you don’t want the toothpick completely clean—those moist crumbs keep the brownies fudgy.
10. Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares. I find this step really important because they firm up nicely and slice cleanly, making for a prettier presentation and easier serving.

One of my favorite memories with this recipe is how my kids love to help with the mashing and mixing steps—it’s messy, sure, but those moments in the kitchen are just as sweet as the brownies themselves.